Life Goes On
by cheekbonesforthepoor
Summary: It's simple: Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron, continuing from the end of Deathly Hallows. Some Marriage Law, but nothing too strict. My first Fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

**_Harry_**

It was officially three months after the war, and Harry Potter was tired. Tired of fame, tired of fortune, tired of… well, life in general, to be honest. Unfortunately for him, though, his life didn't allow him to be tired of it quite yet.

He was happy, he supposed. Ginny was the best girlfriend he could ask for. In fact, all the Weasleys had been the most caring family he had ever had. Ron and Hermione were still close friends, and remained in a dedicated relationship. Harry was on his way to becoming an Auror, studying for his required NEWTs. His life was going the way he had hoped for so long, he thought.

But he also recognized the increasing turmoil in the wizarding world. Everyone heard the reports of a lowering population, the rewards for marriage. Hermione was suspecting the Ministry might impose a Marriage Law- the likes of which had not been seen since 1802, when there was a sharp decline in the population. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic, was keeping the family updated, but even he was worried the Law might get passed. Everyone was hearing the news- the population had to increase- and fast.

Harry stretched as he emerged from the deep sleep he had enjoyed for far too long- glancing at the clock, he noticed it said 11:13. He was getting far too used to sleeping in. He emerged from under the covers, stretched, and headed to the bathroom, then downstairs.

Downstairs, Mrs. Weasley was already chopping lettuce in preparation for an early lunch. Today, the house was surprisingly empty. Ginny and George were working at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Ron and Hermione were out at Diagon Alley, picking up groceries and new clothes. Mr. Weasley and Percy were gone at the Ministry of Magic. This left Harry and Mrs. Weasley at home. "Good morning!" She called from the kitchen and walked over to greet the young man with a hug. Pulling back, she asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, thanks." Harry punctuated his reply with a yawn.

"I saved some breakfast for you, dear. It's on the table- I tried to keep it warm." Mrs. Weasley returned to her salad-making. "Oh, and Harry dear, when you finish eating, can you do me a favor and clean up the back yard? Just make sure everything's in its place, and all the trash is in the bin."

"No problem, Mrs. Weasley." Harry replied, trying to make his voice sound cheerier than he actually felt.

Just like the Matriarch had said, a steaming plate of eggs, bacon, and three slices of toast waited for him on the table. He ate it, taking his time. He wasn't very hungry, but he felt obligated to eat. When he was done, he journeyed back upstairs to get dressed, then headed into the backyard, where just yesterday quite a few members of the former Order of the Phoenix had come over to an end-of-summer barbeque. The cleaning was a mindless task, perfect for his current mental state. Piece after piece of trash he levitated into the bin. Chair after chair he placed back around the tables or against the outside wall of the burrow. Harry saw a few gnomes frolic around the garden as he worked, but didn't make any move to remove them. Finally, the task was complete, and just as he heard a surge of noise coming from inside the house.

Ron and Hermione had just arrived from Diagon Alley, loaded down with bags from different stores. Ron was enthusiastically describing to his mother a bundle of new herbs and their properties in both potion brewing and cooking. Hermione was unwrapping a bundle of books when she saw him come in. "Harry! Look what we found at Flourish and Blotts!" The young woman was clearly excited, her bushy brown hair tied back in a low clip. Pushing aside books with titles like Wizarding Art and Culture in China and Retigula's Theory of Numbers Explained in a Modern Context, she produced a slightly thicker book: A History of Crime and Aurorship, by Alastor Moody.

"Mad-eye wrote a book?" Harry turned the book over in his hands.

"Well, I think he contributed to it. He doesn't seem the type to devote his life to a book. But I flipped through it, and it's pretty clear where he wrote. He had a very… unique style. I thought you might like it." Hermione said, gathering up all the rest of the books to take them up to her room.

"Oh hey- did you see that book, mate? Yeah, I didn't believe it when I first saw it, but it looks pretty real, dunnit?" Ron seemed pretty cheerful, too. "Oh yeah, here- we stopped to get some Quidditch stuff- you said you were low on broom polish, right? Here, I got some. It was only two sickles, so not too bad."

"Oh, thanks, I was running out." Harry took the small bottle.

"Yeah- speaking of Quidditch, we should play! Maybe when George and Ginny get back we could play two-on-two." Ron said, grinning.

"Yeah, that sounds great." Harry said, meeting Ron's smile. "When will they be back?"

"Probably around 5-ish. Oh yeah- When are you going to clean out Grimmauld Place? Aren't you going to move out? I mean, not that I don't like living in the same house, but we are adults… so…"

"No, yeah, I understand. We could go over tomorrow, maybe round up some friends, clean. I'm sure Ginny could help, and maybe Neville, Luna… Seamus?" Harry said, scratching the back of his head, unsure.

"That sounds great!" Hermione called out as she came back down the stairs. "We could make it a party!"

"That's a great idea!" Ron said, wrapping his freckled arm around her shoulders as she joined them.

"Alright! I can invite them, if you want." Hermione said, "I've been dying to throw some sort of bash."

"Other than the one last night?" Ron asked.

"Yes- I mean my own little get-together, one where the Weasleys aren't the planners." Hermione replied, already contemplating whom to invite.

Harry thought maybe having people around may bring him out of his funk. "Please do. That would be great. I do want to move out eventually."

. . . .

The next day dawned, and Harry slept in again, exhausted after an evening full of Quidditch, but today was woken because of someone banging on his door. He could easily recognize Ginny's voice through the door. "Yeah?" He called back.

"HARRY!" Ginny barged in and jumped on his bed, an orange blur to him as he sat up without glasses on. "Good Mo-or-orning!" She sang in a bad opera voice as she attacked him with tickles.

They both were laughing as hard as possible as they started to tickle-fight, with Harry eventually pinning Ginny under him, their faces only a few centimeters apart. He slowly leaned in for a chaste kiss, before leaning back. "You should wake me up like that more often." He said, grinning.

"Well, I thought I could surprise you; it's been a while since I've woken you up." Ginny said, brushing back her flaming hair.

"No kidding." Harry said, leaning back in for another kiss.

"Not right now, Boy who Lived." Ginny said, pushing him back gently, grinning. "Get dressed. I'll be downstairs." She slithered out from under him and quietly left his room.

Harry leaned back onto his haunches, grinning stupidly.

. . . .

As he emerged from the stairway, Harry make eye contact with his girlfriend as she sat with her family and smiled at her. Crowded around the dining room table with her were the three Weasley brothers still living at the burrow- Percy, George, and Ron, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Angelina, George's girlfriend. Hermione was in the kitchen, and had obviously forced Mrs. Weasley out to where she unwillingly sat and constantly glanced at Hermione as she washed dishes.

Harry was greeted by a multitude of "Good mornings" and a few "Look who finally woke ups". "Oh, Harry dear, we were just discussing F-… George's joke shop." Mrs. Weasley smiled, but he could see the pain in her eyes. Ever since Fred's death, the impact on almost everyone in his life was evident. It still was hard to not say, "Fred and George."

Angelina was slowly rubbing George's shoulder while the young man hid his face behind his steepled fingers. "I'm just not sure we can keep the shop up… without… you know." She said softly.

"If you wanted, I could always help out here and there." Percy volunteered, his face solemn.

"Seriously? Perce, this is a joke shop we're talking about." Ron said disbelievingly.

"No, I mean it. I think it would be beneficial for me to separate myself from the ministry for a while- you saw how bad I was. I think I should find a new job to help me be… well, less of a pain in the neck." Percy said, adjusting his glasses.

"Alright." George spoke up suddenly. "Let's try it." He jerked up, pushing back the chair and strode over to the back door and out into the yard.

"What did I do?" Percy asked, looking concerned for his brother.

"Nothing- just let him process. We are all working through this together. It's hard to move on." Mrs. Weasley said, hugging herself.

"I think it's a wonderful idea to help at the shop, Percy." Ginny stated confidently.

"It's true- you were a pain in the neck." Ron agreed, before he was hit upside the head by Hermione as she rejoined the group. "Ouch, woman!"

"Really, though, Percy, It'll be great to keep the shop under the control of a couple Weasley brothers." Harry said. "And I'm sure you could help with the mischief making."

"It's true!" Angelina giggled. "I can see right through you, Percy. You have a deviously cunning mind! You two will make more prank products than ever before!"

. . . .

Harry pulled aside another stack of books and handed them to Hermione, who received them and began dusting them off. "Regulus had some awful books. "The Tragedy of Befouled Blood"? "A Brief History of Purity versus Mud"? This is just… awful." She pronounced, making a face, then sneezing, "Achooo!"

"Just get rid of them. No one should read that trash." Harry recommended, pulling out more thick tomes and brushing them off with his hands. "Take these too. How could anyone enjoy reading such rubbish?"

"Ugh. Aaaa-choo!" Hermione sneezed explosively. "I can't stand all this dust! Maybe I should just go and prepare lunch."

"Go ahead. I can finish this room." Harry said, pulling the last of the books off the shelf.

With Hermione gone, it took a lot longer to finish his task, but eventually he was done and ventured downstairs. There, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Dean, his girlfriend, Daphne Greengrass, Seamus, and Hannah Abbott all were eating simple turkey and cheese sandwiches with big plates of chips and chocolate chip cookies. They were chatting so loudly, they barely even noticed his entrance as he grabbed a handful of chips and went to stand between Ginny and Ron.

"Hey, Harry, did you have any specific plans for the family tree? I mean, It's kinda cool, but honestly, do you really want a bunch of dead, arrogant, purebloods covering your wall? I dunno, but I mean…" Ron said as he paused between bites off sandwich.

"Actually, Ron, I think I'll leave that, at least for now. I just feel like I should leave some traces of the Black family around. Speaking of those traces, though, has Luna had any luck removing the… er, portrait?"

"No, though I'm not sure if she's doing much. I think I heard something about Flibbering Tutus or some such nonsense." Ron said, grimacing at the blonde's behavior. "I think Hermione might go and help her. Merlin knows she needs it."

"Ron," Ginny leaned towards her brother, "Just trust Luna. She is a very clever young woman, and I think you should let her work. She's at least made some progress- it wobbles a little now."

Ron shrugged. "Okay. I just hopes she gets done with it by tonight." He then proceeded to stuff his mouth with more sandwich and grab a cookie before heading back to work.

Once he was gone, Ginny turned to Harry as she ate a cookie. "That boy just confounds me. Why can't he just accept Luna's brilliance?"

"He's stubborn, like most of your family." Harry said, grinning.

She shrugged. "Fair enough."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hermione_**

Carefully packaging up the leftovers from the cleaning luncheon, Hermione made sure the kitchen at Grimmauld place was completely clean, with a little help from Kreacher as he waddled around, grumbling under his breath. After lunch, Daphne and Seamus had to leave because they had jobs to go to, so they both grabbed some of the leftovers. Once everything was wiped down and magically cleaned, she rejoined the others, glancing into each room before finally joining Neville where he was disposing of the hay and other debris left in the attic after Sirius and Buckbeak's stay a few years earlier.

"Hey, Neville, how's it going?" She chirped happily before joining him in sweeping the dust from the corners.

"Fine enough. I think I might be allergic to hippogriff, though- my eyes are all pink and itchy." The miserable young man leaned on his tool as he ran a hand over his face.

"It looks like it. Why don't you go downstairs and help Harry with the third-floor bedrooms? I can finish up here." Hermione said, already making a pile of straw in one corner.

"Oh thanks. You're the best!" Neville said before he made a quick exit.

The task of cleaning the attic was simple and allowed Hermione time to ponder. She was happy in her life. She enjoyed studying to take her NEWT's so she could work in the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Angelina, and even Dean Thomas all were great friends, and she was glad to have them. Ron was the best boyfriend she had ever had (not that she had had many). Everything in her life was going the way it should. Except for the Wizarding world.

The greater part of Wizarding England was left almost decimated by the war- death, leaving for different countries, many births of squibs. Honestly, this outcome surprised Hermione. She thought there would be a baby boom like there was in America after the second World War, but instead, the opposite had happened. Minister Shacklebolt was doing his best to keep a Marriage Law from passing, but many prominent politicians were in full support of the idea.

Once the attic was neatly ordered with a pile of trash, hay, and other things that did not belong in one corner, Hermione vanished it with her wand and headed back downstairs, where everyone else seemed to be wrapping up as well. Glancing out the window, she noticed that the sun was going down, which meant that most people were going to leave soon, including her because Ron had promised to take her out to see the top new Play that had just debuted on the Wizarding Stage: Murder and Magic, based off the popular book she had read a few years back. Really, the whole idea was probably the most romantic thing she had ever experienced.

By the front door, Harry was already chatting with Luna about some nonsense- Hermione overheard mentions of "Flitterbit Botilligas" and "Ferocious Glundringers". Harry turned as he heard her on the stairs and smiled widely. "Hermione! Guess what! Luna unstuck that awful portrait and we stuck it in the cellar!" As he spoke, he hugged the small blonde into his side as she smiled humbly.

"That's great! How did you reverse that sticking charm?" Hermione asked, running her hand over the now-exposed wallpaper.

"Oh, it wasn't stuck with a charm- there was a large nest of Flitterbits behind it. You really shouldn't touch there actually- It might still have droppings or their molted feathers." Luna said matter-of-factly, with her wand tucked behind her ear, her eyes looking both sharply intelligent and slightly loony.

"Oh…" Hermione drew her hand back and cast a scorgify over both it and the wall. "So, how did you clear them out?"

"Oh, it was easy. Flitterbits all hate the smell of lemon! So I used my earring," Luna gestured to her left ear, which displayed a half a lemon, "and made an air tunnel that lead outside! Once the Flitterbits had left, it was quite simple to clean away the sticky feathers and free the portrait."

"That's amazing, Luna! I would never have thought of that." Hermione said, rolling her purple sleeve back down.

"What's amazing?" Ginny's voice rang out as she came down the stairs, arms full of dusty books.

"Luna removed the portrait!" Harry responded, still excited over the fact.

"Oh here, let me help you." Hermione took some of the top books and helped her carry them down the stairs to the cellar, where they were storing all the remainders of the Black family legacy. "Oh, these are dusty- aachoo!"

"Bless you!" Hannah Abbott called out from where she was concealed among the stacks, carefully cataloging each item contained in the room. The former Hufflepuff looked professional, with her no-nonsense short haircut and tidy clothing. "What do you have there?"

"Some more books." Ginny replied, "all as gross as the last lot. Honestly, did all the Black family just sit down one day and say, 'Wow, you know what? We sure don't have enough pig-headed bull yet, so why don't we just come up with seven new slight variations of hate on Muggleborns?' 'Oh wow! That' s so great! How about: Mud, Mud, Mud Part 73? There can never be too many continuations of the same theme!'" She huffed before slamming down her load of books.

"Well, some of these books are brilliant." Hannah stated, before realizing what she had said, "I mean- not the awful ones of course, but I found some very good potions texts! Some of the Blacks were geniuses, if a bit, as you said, pig-headed."

"Really? You should set them aside. I might take a look at them." Hermione pondered, before she remembered what time it was. "But not now! We're all headed home. We got much more done today than we even hoped for."

"Wow-time does fly when you're having fun!" Hannah pronounced, carefully placing her notes on top of the recently-added books.

. . . .

"Wow, Hermione. This really was a great idea. I'm glad we actually made some progress around here." Harry said, leaning on the front door frame, having just said goodbye to all the helpers as they left.

"Well, you were the one who actually had the idea to invite helpers; I just put your plan into action." Hermione stated humbly.

"Oh, don't be silly, you're brilliant!" Ron emphatically gushed as the two stood together on the front step, about to dissaparate.

"Don't pile it on too thick, brother dear. We females appreciate subtlety on occasion." Ginny teased.

"I dunno, I think some girls do like it thick. Don't you-" Ron was cut off by Hermione hitting him upside the head. "Ow, woman! Every time…" he grumbled under his breath, still looking pleased with his wit.

"Well, are you guys headed off?" Harry asked.

"Yeah- We're seeing Murder and Magic." Hermione said, feeling satisfied with herself.

"I remember hearing good things about that. Well, I hope you guys have fun!" Ginny said, going towards Hermione for a hug. The two girls hugged, then Ron and Hermione dissaparated back to the Burrow.

. . . .

Hermione looked over herself in the mirror. She felt like she looked nice, with her hair braided back into a bun and her ears decorated with simple silver earrings. She wore a deep blue, knee-length dress and flats, and had done her make-up with practiced skill.

She skipped out the door and joined Ron, who also had dressed nice, in a simple yellow shirt and dress pants. "You look great!" he said, drawing her in for a kiss.

"So do you!" She replied, pulling back to grab her beaded bag. "Do you know where the apparation point is?"

"Yeah."

"And you have the tickets?"

"Of course."

"And-"

"Hermione, I planned everything! Don't worry; trust me." Ron said, his clear blue eyes locking with the young woman's warm brown ones.

Hermione let out her deep breath, and with it her stress. "Alright." She grinned. "Let's go, then."

. . . .

The theatre was crowded with many people, all seeming excited to finally be seeing the hit new play. Hermione thought the whole experience was very fun, and tightly gripped Ron's hand as the pair wove through the crowd and finally to their seats, which were quite good, just to the left of the stage.

"This is just… amazing, Ron." Hermione said, her voice awestruck. "I remember when my dad took me to see Lion King when it was in London and I was twelve, during the summer. This is even better." She sighed contentedly, resting her head on the taller man's shoulder.

"I'm glad you like it. I remember when you read the book, and that you liked it… so…" Ron trailed off, also comfortable in their seats.

Soon, the play started, and the two enjoyed themselves immensely.


End file.
